


Divine Intervention

by noirefemmefatale



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Post-Canon, Swamp Visions, Various Sprits
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-05-17 22:27:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14840348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noirefemmefatale/pseuds/noirefemmefatale
Summary: Years after the war, Katara is still the only native bender of the Southern Water Tribe. Zuko has devoted his every waking moment to bettering the Fire Nation and making up for their war crimes. Two spirits decide that these two would be better together and thus make it their mission to see that Katara and Zuko take time for themselves and open their eyes to love. Yue and Agni are determined to push their benders together, enlisting in the help of other spirits to show these two powerful benders that they're better as a pair.





	1. Prologue

Tribespeople gathered as Katara went through bending forms, lifting snow and turning it to ice as she packed it against the side of the watchtower. The grand, blinding white structure had caved in, trapping several warriors inside. Katara, who had been fortifying the ice wall that surrounded the small tribe, had been dragged to the sight immediately. Before she had worked on the wall, Katara had gone farther than the eye could see onto the ocean to catch fish with her bending. Winter brought the dark season, making it harder for those without bending to catch enough food to feed everyone. Katara had been aiding the fishermen for the past five years since the war. Her tribe needed her. Each time she thought she would have a moment to rest, something went wrong in the Southern Water Tribe. As the only waterbender, it was always her job to fix it.

            Katara wiped sweat from her brow with the back of her thick mitten. She barely had time think of going back to the igloo she shared with her grandmother when one of the younger midwives skidded to a stop before her.

            “Master Katara, come quick. Please,” the midwife begged, tugging on Katara’s arm, “a child is being born feet first and we can’t flip it. We need your healing abilities.”

            Katara squared her shoulders, doing her best to push fatigue from deep within her bones. “Lead the way.”

            Hakoda watched his daughter be dragged away for the umpteenth time that day. Without a word he turned on his heel and marched to the spirt temple. The temple was small, but it did the trick of contacting the spirits that watched over the Southern Water Tribe. Hakoda knelt, dipping the wooden bowl into the small water pool before the altar. He poured the water into a crystal cup that was probably worth more than everything the tribe had to offer combined. Hakoda sank to his knees and turned his face skyward, letting his eyes slide shut to better connect with the spirits.

            “I beg of you, Great Ones, please send more benders to our tribe. My daughter is much too overworked, I fear for her safety if she continues to support every need of our tribe for much longer,” Hakoda prayed, “Katara will never turn away those in need but she doesn’t realize that she needs to take time for herself.”

            Hakoda stayed in stance, unmoving as the wind stilled inside the temple. He didn’t dare move, knowing that any disturbance would be disrespected to the spirits. Finally, when he felt the ice seeping through his thick winter clothing, Hakoda felt a presence with him.

            “Katara is a strong bender,” a soft voice whispered, “She can handle her duties. Help will come when it is most needed.”

            Hakoda’s shoulders slumped but he simply thanked the spirits, returned the water to the pool and left the temple. Hakoda went to his family’s igloo to wait for his daughter. After five notches on the candle had burned, Katara returned home. Dark circles hung beneath her clear blue eyes. Her deep brown skin looked sunken and her dark hair was missing the shine it had held years before. Hakoda knew that his daughter was only nineteen, but looking at her, she seemed nearer to his own age.

            “I asked the spirit to send us more benders,” Hakoda told.

            Katara jumped slightly, obviously not having seen her father sitting by the time-keeping candles. Her blue eyes were almost hopeful as she looked in Hakoda’s direction. “What did they say?”

            Hakoda’s tall frame folded in on itself. “That you are a strong bender that can handle her duties and that help will come when it is most needed.”

            “I need it now!” Katara shouted.

            It was Hakoda’s turn to jump. It had been so long since Katara had expressed anything strongly. She ran her hands through her hair, which had fallen haphazardly out of its braid while she helped deliver not one, but two babies that day. Hakoda didn’t miss that more than a few strands came fluttering through her fingers.

            “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shout,” Katara apologized, her voice a whisper, “It’s just been a lot these few years.”

            Hakoda crossed the small room in two steps to hug his daughter. “I know, Katara, I know. You’ve handled more than we could ever hope to repay you for.”

            “I don’t need to be repaid.” Katara sighed and sagged into her father. “I just hate the thought of not knowing when I’ll get help. Of sitting and just waiting. Of just leaving things to someone else to decide.”

            Katara stood at her full height, her eyes blazing so fiercely Hakoda thought he could feel the heat of her barely contained anger.

            “I need to write to Aang,” Katara said through gritted teeth.

            “Katara, you need sleep.”

            “I bet if I talked to the spirts on my own they’d tell me to meditate.” Katara took the time-keeping candle, holding it above her head and using one hand to look for the letter writing kit Zuko had sent her a year ago. “I bet Aang has been talking to the spirts about this. Every letter he sends me tells me I should meditate for a while, once I feel more rested I’ll be able to tackle anything. Just like he did when he went out and found a bunch of non-benders to restart the Air Nomads. It always comes back to his successes.”

            By the time Katara found her kit, she was muttering under her breath. Hakoda stayed near-by, not daring go to the sleeping room that Katara had added upon returning home from the war and risk disturbing her. Katara’s gaudy quill scratched across the paper angrily as she scrawled out a letter.

            “Where’s Hawky?” Katara demanded.

  * ●●●



            Yue held the glowing blue spirts that made a waterbender in her hands. She reached down delicately, pushing the spirts into the growing abdomens of the sleeping Southern Water Tribe women. As she reached for another, she tried to remember how Tui and La had stuck her with the job of choosing new benders. Something about new spirits needing to pay dues.

            Yue grumbled, combining two spirts and putting them into one abdomen. That’s how strong benders were made, right?

            “Ah, I remember the eons where I had to create benders,” a smoky voice said.

            Yue turned, carefully sealing the bender spirts so none escaped…again. Agni stood behind her, oranges, yellows, and red coming off him in waves. When the colors met her blues, whites and silvers a brilliant mix was born. The fire bending spirit came to stand next to her, looking down on the peaceful women with soft, amber eyes.

            “Hello, Agni. What brings you to the Water Benders nursery? And the Southern Water Tribe wing at that.”

            “I was looking for you actually. As a new spirt you have interacted with those who are still living. I have an idea about your Southern bender, Katara and one of mine, Zuko.”

            Yue’s eyebrows shot into her hair. “What do you have in mind?”


	2. Some Things Never Change, and Some Things Do

“You must not disobey the spirits!” a tribe elder told Hakoda, spit flying from her wrinkled mouth in her anger.

            Hakoda squared his shoulders. “The spirits are obviously testing me as a father. What kind of father would I be if I sat by and watched my daughter work herself to death What kind of chief would I be if I allowed the Southern Water Tribe to relapse to the state we were in during the Hundred Year War because we overworked our only waterbender? I need to go find more benders and ger Katara some help.”

            “What kind of chief would you be if you left your people without a leader again?” Katara asked.

            Katara bowed her head low as she moved into the iced over, Elder Meeting Room. Hakoda’s shoulders slumped, there elders wouldn’t let him disobey the spirits to get Katara help if Katara herself wasn’t on his side.

            “I’ll go,” Katara offered. The elders spoke simultaneously, all protesting the only waterbender leaving. Katara held up a hand, trying to steel her voice to avoid not being taken seriously. “With all due respect, I’ll be leaving tomorrow morning not what you all decide. My father, your chief is right, if I stay here and wait for the spirits to decide it’s okay to search for help, it’ll be too late. I am not an endless reserve of power; I haven’t had time to heal myself and I can feel my bending faltering from overuse.

            “If I take the time to search for benders I’ll have at least some time to heal myself without needing to preform advanced bending daily. I’ll go to the Northern Water Tribe first. I’m sure they can spare a few benders for us.

            “I’ve travelled the world before and I learned sailing and navigating as soon I returned home. Our people have prepared me for anything that may come my way. This is how I am going to help our tribe.”

            “If there’s no way we can change your mind then I suppose spending more time in this meeting rather than preparing for your departure is useless,” Hakoda said, nodding to the elders.

            Katara left the room after bowing her head once more. She waited for her father to emerge while picking at her dress. She looked through the cloudy ice window she’d made within a month of returning home from the war.

            Following the war, Katara and Sokka had returned to their tribe for two and five months respectively. Katara had wanted to stay longer but she had been so enchanted by seeing more of the world, at a more leisurely pace with Aang. She’d erected buildings, the tribe meeting place, being the first one. After constructing a watch tower and reinforcing some homes, she’d set off. Katara’s vision of exploring was quickly dashed when Aang set their focus to attracting people to a new air temple. Katara realized early on that as the Avatar Aang always needed a project. To this day, she didn’t consider it a bad life purpose, but it wasn’t a healthy one for her. As much as she loved helping people, constantly putting herself second during the war had taught Katara that taking time for yourself to recuperate was just as important.

            Sokka had left almost the moment Katara returned home, stating that he didn’t want to be chief and could live on Kyoshi with Suki forever. That last a lot longer than Katara traveling with Aang but all children of the water returned to their origin at some point. Sokka returned with Suki, now his fiancée, ready to study to become chief. Hakoda had started both of his children training to lead the tribe, recognizing their wanderlust and planning for it. It ended up working out perfectly, when Sokka and Suki wanted to return to Kyoshi, Katara was there in case something drastic happened to their father. When Katara decided other shores were calling her, Sokka was usually already on his way.

            “I assume your siblings are already on their way,” Hakoda stated, joining Katara in the hall.

            Katara peeled herself off the wall, running her hands over her hair that had gotten almost uncomfortably thick and heavy in the past years. “I sent a letter as soon as you told me about what the spirits said. Well, I wrote Aang something very angry then sent Sokka and Suki a letter.”

            “As much as I’m going to miss you, I know that getting away is what you need right now,” Hakoda told, “Take your time getting from place to place. I want you to come back rested. I want you to come back.”

            Katara turned to her father, looking at the way the sun turned his brown skin the color of Earth Nation soil after a long rain. “I’ll come back. But there are also some sights I want to see again. It’ll feel like I’m far but I won’t be. We’re more connected to the other nations than we think.”

            Hakoda pulled his daughter in with an arm hooked around her neck. “When did you get so Elder-wise?”

            “Somewhere between growing up with Sokka and delivering Sokka’s son,” Katara teased.

            “Sounds about right. Let’s get you ready.”

ↄↄↄ

            Katara boarded the boat the old-fashioned way, by walking from the icy shore and up a dropped plank. She waved to her grandmother—who leaned more heavily than ever on her father—before dragging her things to her room. In the back of her mind Katara knew that she should offered the sailors some kind of help, whether it was from her bending or biceps, but when she laid on the uncomfortable little bed, the feeling of being on the water again was too soothing. Katara laid for hours, not sleeping nor thinking, letting the energy of the waves beneath the boat recharge her. When night fell, Katara went to the deck of the boat, turning her face towards the moon.

            “Yue, forgive me for going against the spirits,” Katara whispered, laying her arms on the railing.

            Katara let the cold wind go through her hair until she lost track of time. When she could no longer keep her eyes open, she went back to her room. In the morning, and until she and the crew reached their sister tribe in the North, Katara helped aboard. She used her muscles to control sails instead of her bending, when it came time to wash the deck she helped the crew hoist buckets after bucket of water from the open using rope and throwing it down. When their boat finally docked she felt stronger physically, mentally and spiritually.

            “Master Katara,” Arnook welcomed, inclining his head slightly.

            Katara hesitated in shock at the cordial greeting before bowing her head deeper. “Chieftain Arnook.”

            “When I received word that you were coming to speak with me and my benders I assumed you would arrive much quicker. Has your bending been exaggerated by those who sung your praises during the war” he asked.

            There it was. “I chose not to bend during our journey to give myself a break. I can go into further detail during our meeting.”

            Arnook looked down his nose at Katara before twitching his head again. Katara waited until he was out of sight before pinching the bridge of her nose. Obviously, her chief training meant nothing in the North, her gender still outweighed her credentials.

            Katara waited to be summoned from her guest room in the Northern Palace. The candle that kept time through spurts of sparks at the start of each hour erupted three times before Katara was fetched. Chief Arnook sat at the head of the meeting room, more benders than Katara could count in the second she had to take them all in, surrounding him. Katara went to the spot on the carpeted, hard packed snow floor that had been left for her. Arnook was elevated in a way that wasn’t high enough to notice upon entering but impossible to ignore upon sitting down. Katara refused to be intimidated, remembering what Gran-Gran told her at the start of her training: A chief that couldn’t be on level ground with their people weakened their tribe.

            “Master Katara of the Sothern Water Tribe,” Arnook boomed, “You may speak.”

            Katara swallowed her pride with difficulty. “The Southern Water Tribe needs help from the North. At the moment I am the only bender and while I have served my tribe for four years, I cannot keep up with the growing demands of an entire tribe on my own. I ask that a few Northern benders travel and make homes in the South as a way to help your sister tribe. You know that we would not ask for this help if we didn’t desperately need it.”

            Arnook tapped his fingers on his thigh. “Our sister tribe must be in dire need to send the only bender. You helped us during the war when you travelled with the Avatar, so I supposed I can allow a few of my benders to travel. I cannot guarantee that they will make permanent homes there, but I can assign them to your tribe for a total of four months. This should be enough time for you to travel to find more permanent benders. My benders—two healers and three full benders—will travel to the South at the week’s end. Will that suffice?”

            “Thank you for your help. I believe the Southern Water Tribe would be benefit from having more than five Northern benders there. We are quickly growing,” Katara suggested.

            “You are but you still do not have the population of the South. I can only spare five benders to the growing South. I wouldn’t to put my own benders under too much stress.”

            Katara opened her mouth to protest again but saw Arnook raise his chin slightly and thought better of it. “Thank you for your generosity, I hope it can extend a bit more. Your benders can travel to the South with the Southern Traders I traveled with, but I will require a boat. I have rested enough that if the boat is small enough, and you provide me with enough provisions, I will not need any of your sailors to travel with me. I will visit the colonies next.”  

            “Giving you a boat and provisions, for nothing in return is more than I can do,” Arnook told, forced regret in his tone, “I can loan you the boat and provisions, but money will need to be sent to the North as a repayment. I’ll have the exact amount the North will require brought to your room later and I’ll leave it you to work everything out with your Chieftain. Until then, I hope you enjoy your stay Master Katara.”

            Katara rose at the clear dismal, gritting her teeth as she rose. As soon as she retuned to her room, Katara began writing to her father and Sokka. She attached the invoice and sent it off. Katara didn’t dare leave before the Northern benders, holding Arnook to his word. When she saw the benders, all barely her age, she marched to Arnook’s side.

            “You’re sending children!” Katara accused.

            “I agreed to send benders,” Arnook reminded, “not Masters. Besides, you were only a child when you left home. I thought you of all people would be behind this. Safe travels to the colonies, Master Katara.

ↄↄↄ

            Katara tied her boat down, securing her knots before heading down the pier. She stopped at a sign identifying the town:

~~Sozin’s Port~~      **Unani’s Watchpoint**

As Katara walked, signs of unrest became more and more apparent. Houses lined the broken earth rode in various states of disrepair. Prices outside of stalls were crossed out multiple times, each time going higher. Children ran with each other, but there was no laughter. The sound of their feet hitting the ground was almost haunting. Katara ducked into the first inn she saw, trying to shake the eerie feeling that had baked into her brown skin.

            The inn keeper, a burly man with thick black hair covering much of his olive hued skin, looked up. He threw the dirty rag he’d been using to wipe the borderline filthy counter on the ground. The man puffed out his check, making a harsh sound in the back of his throat, before spitting with force in Katara’s direction. The waterbender caught the liquid with her bending before it had the chance to splatter on her parka.

            “I know who you are. We get pictures of all the scum who attend the Fire Lord’s galas.” The man spit again. “I don’t want anyone who friends with disgusting colonizers sleeping in this end. I don’t care how much money you have. Get out of my inn and while you’re at it, get out of this town.”

            Katara glared at the man, the temperature dropping in the room. “Fire Lord Zuko is a great man. A better man than you’ll ever be.”

            “Zuko,” the man said Zuko’s name like the dirtiest curse, “is a colonizer. To me anyone who’ll take land that doesn’t belong to them, renames it and tries to enforce their rules deserves to rot. Get out of my inn before you regret setting foot in here.”

            “I already do,” Katara snarled.

            Katara slammed the door, marching back to her boat. She received more than a few dirty stares on her way back but thankfully the boat hadn’t been tampered with. Katara propelled herself back into the water, deciding to get away from this town. As much as Katara wanted to chalk the town’s demeanor up to being rude people, she couldn’t. The man had a point.

            Why were the colonies still in place if the people were so obviously against it?  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the long wait! I didn't mean for the gap between chapters to be that long. I can't say that it won't happen again as I have a lot going on right now but I can say that I'll do my best to keep updating no matter how long it takes. This story is going to (try) to explore some more adult themes. As you can see from this chapter, I'd like to touch on colonialism and how different people react to that. There will be more to come and in the next chapter we'll get some stuff from Zuko's side! Tell me how you like things so far and what you'd like to see. Thank you for reading!


	3. No Rest for the Determined

Zuko would have liked to say that he didn’t jump when several colony citizens tried to force past his armored guards to reach his palanquin but Zuko didn’t like to lie. His arrival in the colonies had started off less than desirable and only got worse the farther he got from the Fire Nation. He had known on some deep level that not everyone who lived in the colonies liked being under Fire Nation control but he hadn’t considered that it would be this bad.

            Zuko stuck his head out of the curtain when the palanquin stopped. He was taken aback when he saw a group of colony citizens, the majority of their faces covered with the green, yellow and brown flags that had grown synonymous with the vocal, anti-Fire Nation group. When they saw that the Fire Lord was watching they raised his nation’s flag high in the air while an unseen assailant shot a flaming arrow from above. The flag was snatched out of the protestor’s hand, striking against the side of a small trade stand—the only person with Fire Nation features he’d seen since entering the former farming village—setting the stand and the flag ablaze.

            “Death to all Fire Nation scum!” the protestor cried, opting for an Earth Kingdom tongue that Zuko thought had died during the early stages of the Hundred Year War; as it was Zuko had a hard time deciphering the throaty language.

            Shouts filled the air as the protestors surged into the crowd. Zuko’s guards moved closer to the palanquin, either drawing their swords or sinking into fire bending stances. More flaming arrows rained down.

            “Do not engage!” Zuko shouted from inside, “Put out the fires and move through the crowd! Do not engage!”

            Zuko’s guards began cutting a determined path through the panicked crowd. As soon as fires were put out, there seemed to be a protestor in their wake to restart them again. As soon as Zuko made to the mayor’s humble home he was on the ground. His guards, who could tell from one look at his face that their lord wanted to return to the town to access the damage, ushered him towards the door.

            A thin, elderly woman who was obviously of Earth Kingdom descent slid the door open for his party while on her hands and knees. Zuko inclined his head to show his thanks, even though she was more than beneath him in station. The woman dropped her foreground to the ground after giving him a puzzled expression that didn’t quite hide the contempt she no doubt held for him. The village leader, a short and round man from the Fire Nation bent low to the Fire Lord.

            “I hope your journey to my home was pleasant, Fire Lord Zuko,” Chen told with an easy smile.

            Zuko called on his years as a nation leader to keep this disbelief out of his face and tone. “How often do you venture into town, Mayor Chen?”

            Mayor Chen’s smile dropped slightly. “I conduct most of my business from home. The town has grown nasty and unruly. No matter how many curfews I enforce it doesn’t help. I suppose we can talk about that during our official meeting. Right now, my wife has prepared dinner. I’m sure you’re hungry. I apologize for our lack of the fine delicacies you’re no doubt used to at the Fire Palace.”

            Zuko took a deep breath. “Thank you. We have scaled back on delicacies at the palace so there’s no need for apologies.”

            Zuko and his guards put their things into the small room that they were given for the duration of their stay. While the so-called peace tour hadn’t been going on for long, Zuko and his guard had gotten used to sharing close quarters during their travel. At first it had been a cause for scandal, a Fire Lord sharing sleeping quarters with guards, note takers and the like, but after implementing strict scaling back on spending for all to aid in the recovery of the Fire Nation, the people saw it as him being dedicated to his nation. Zuko’s most trusted guard knew when to look the other way when the Fire Lord began to spasm in his sleep, experiencing the night terrors that plagued many who had been on the front lines of the war. In his five years leading his nation, Zuko had become one of the most Fire Lord’s the nation had seen in generations.

            The dinner was tense. Any time Zuko tried to bring up the unrest in the town, Chen steered conversation towards the Fire Nation capital. After the fifth time, Zuko put his unfinished bowl down, knowing that would signal the end of the meal for all. It was an unwritten rule he rarely utilized for he knew how frustrating it was to want to finish a meal but not be allowed to.

            “It’s time for our meeting Mayor Chen,” Zuko announced.

            Zuko stood and Mayor Chen seemed to fold in on himself. The shorter man led the Fire Lord to a small home office where the desk was littered with papers, more than a few seemed to be threatening letters from the same protest group that had been in town. Zuko touched one, the anger was evident in the way the ancient Earth Kingdom characters were pressed into the page.

            “What is happening in your town? I’ve seen those who don’t agree with being a colony of the Fire Nation, but the demonstration today was by far one of the worst I’ve seen in a long time,” Zuko told.

            Chen tucked his chin to his chest. “The waterbender you sent, the Avatar’s girlfriend, helped smooth things over a little. The people took to her and it was calm for a bit. Then she made the mistake of shopping at the only Fire Nation stall in town and it’s been a spiral since then.”

            “I haven’t seen Master Katara—” Zuko stressed Katara’s name, turning his mouth down at Chen. “—in months. I certainly didn’t send her to smooth things over in town. That’s why I’m here now.”

            “I assumed you sent her ahead of you to assess the situation in the colonies. I offered her a safe place to stay for the night when the riots broke out and she mentioned heading to New Phoenix Pier next. She seemed not to want to talk about why she was in the Fire Nation colonies and I thought it wasn’t my place to ask.” Mayor Chen searched Zuko’s face. “Should I not have offered her lodging?”

            “No, it’s very good that you did. I’m sure that Master Katara could handle herself but if her presence caused an upset to this scale, I’d rather her not engage in combat.” Zuko touched his chin. “I’ll mull over this information. Now, in your letters you requested a squad of armed guards to be sent to your town. I don’t think a stronger Fire Nation military presence will exactly help your situation.”

            Mayor Chen huffed by settled into the meeting now that it was on familiar grounds. Zuko argued against antagonizing the citizens further with military and strict curfews. It had been the same in each colony. Whenever the Fire Nation leaders tried to hold onto their power with more force, their citizens pushed back. It was time for a new tactic.

When Zuko finished hours later, he went straight to the quarters he shared with his party. This was one of the few times Zuko wished he had his own room. Zuko produced a map of the colonies from his bag. New Phoenix Pier was at least two days away on foot and out of the way of his colony tour. As much as Zuko wanted to know what Katara was doing going around the Fire Nation colonies and stirring up trouble in a way only she knew how, his duty to his nation came first.

  * ●●●



Yue and Agni sat close together, leaning over the pool that allowed them to see the physical world. Katara sat inside a small pub, a mug of dark liquid in front of her. She had stuffed her warm Southern Water Tribe clothes into a leather satchel that was slung across her back and opted for a more inconspicuous outfit made of the browns and greys sold in the mixed nation town she had been in for the past few days. Agni touched the pool, moving closer to the map that was spread on the table in front of her. The young waterbender’s finger traced a line of green that marked the outer perimeter of the Foggy Swamp.

“She’s going to try to avoid it,” Yue told, “Or at least figure out how to get to the center and to the benders without running into any spirits.”

“Well that is simply unacceptable,” Agni decided aloud, “I’m going to call on the catgator spirit of the swamp to bring her in. We can see what will be revealed to her so we know how to proceed with our plan.”

Yue turned back to the pool as Agni left, never moving away but just suddenly not being beside her. The moon spirit moved her view from Katara to the benders inside the Foggy Swamp. She picked three benders, reached through the pool and touched them with fingers that would be invisible on their world. While she wanted Katara to find love, she also understood the waterbender was on a mission.

ↄↄↄↄ

In hindsight, Katara should have seen this coming. She should have stocked up on food before leaving the previous colony but the sting of not only failing to find any waterbenders but also being spit on by Fire Nation natives and colonials alike had made her want to leave town as soon as possible. Katara didn’t stop to think how she was going to cook this rabbit-mouse if she caught, right now she was being led by her stomach alone.

Katara struck out with a ice tipped water whip. The whip hit the place where the rabbit-mouse had been but in the animal’s place, there was only greenery. It was at that moment she noticed the fierce wind whipping her hair and clothes around her. Katara let out a Southern Water Tribe curse that would have made even Sokka gasp. For a moment Katara thought she heard a mix of dainty feminine and gruff masculine laughter float by her on the wind.

“Alright, I’m here,” Katara muttered to no one, to the swamp itself, “What do you have for me this time?”

Katara looked around, hoping to see her mother again but was met with trees and fog. Katara turned her face skywards, trying and failing to see how long she’d been tracking the rabbit-mouse. With a huff, Katara began to look for edible plants.

“Mommy?” a high-pitched voice called.

Katara snapped up, coming face to face with a child that couldn’t have been more than four years old. The child, maybe a girl, had chocolate brown hair the same shade and wavy texture as her own. Her eyes were a soft brown that reminded Katara of Zuko’s amber set. The girl had brown in her skin somewhere near the slightly lighter deep hue that Katara and her people had during the sunless months in the South. The girl blinked. Her clothes, Fire Nation style but without the overbearing reds, were disheveled with patches of dirt on her front.

“I can’t find Daddy,” the child told, her lower lip jutting out.

Katara knew that face from having watched many a tantrum in the making. “I’ll help you find your parents. My name is Katara. What’s yours?”

Instead of answering, the child threw back her head and let out a wail of epic proportions. Katara reached forward, her hands going through the child’s shoulder. Startled, Katara jerked back then glared at the trees around her.

“Not cool. If you’re going to send me children I can’t talk to, at least make them quiet!”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First and foremost, thank you all so much for reading! Secondly, I have this entire story planned out but I'd still like to hear your feedback. How am I doing? What do you like about this fic so far (even though it's only three chapters)? What do you think is going to happen? What don't you like so much? Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated. My birthday is coming up on Saturday so I wanted to make sure I posted this so you guys wouldn't be waiting for too long. Thank you yet again!


	4. Don't Drink the Dew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which: Katara dances, drinks and is merry while Zuko fights, thinks and is very unhappy.

Katara was jolted awake by the same cry that had woken her for the past two days. The specter-child hadn’t let Katara sleep past sunrise since it had been following her. For maybe the second time in her entire life, Katara wished she had Aang’s ability to cross between the physical and spirit world, if only to give the spirits who sent her this child a piece of her mind.   
Katara rolled over in her tent, only to be met with another wail. Grumbling to herself, Katara rolled up her sleeping roll, shoved her feet into her boots and went to work on dismantling her tent. The child perched her spirit body on a nearby fallen tree, seeming to watch Katara as she did her best to comb her hair with her fingers. Katara cast a gaze full of distrust into the soft brown eyes that couldn’t have possibly been watching her with such rapt attention.   
“I want to go to the South Pole with you,” the child whined, causing Katara to freeze, “I don’t want to go to the Earth Kingdom with Daddy. I hate going to the Earth Kingdom.”  
“Whose child are you?” Katara demanded.   
The child shrank back, obviously from harsher words than Katara had thrown; still, she felt bad when the brown eyes started to water. “I don’t actually hate the Earth Kingdom. I would never say that in front of Daddy’s advisors, Mommy. I just want to go with you. Daddy makes me eat vegetables and Uncle Sokka lets me eat all the meat I want.”  
Katara’s breath caught. “Uncle Sokka?”  
Katara moved closer to the child. A large pair of yellow eyes watched the pair—watched Katara—through the trees. Water snaked up Katara’s arms, to her shoulders in an instant. Something in the back of Katara’s mind told her that she didn’t need to protect the child, but still she angled her body so that the new intrusion couldn’t reach the still prattling girl. Katara struck out with a dull water whip, a warning that sent the creature whimpering and scampering away when it was touched.   
“Uncle Sokka told me that if you and Daddy ever tell me no but I really want to do something I should threaten to hold my breath until I pass out,” the child announced proudly, sitting up taller, “If I don’t go to the South Pole with you I’ll hold my breath the entire time I’m in the Earth Kingdom and I’ll die! You have to let me come with you now!”  
Katara looked at the child in disbelief. “I’m still dreaming. I must be. Who do you belong to?”  
“Cousin!” an enthusiastic voice called to Katara, “We didn’t think we’d be seeing you around any time soon. Come follow me.”   
Katara turned to Huu, then back to the suddenly vacant fallen tree. “I’m so glad to see you.”  
“Glad to see you too, cousin,” Huu told, “C’mon, you look hungry.”  
Katara gladly climbed onto the rickety boat that Huu stood on. The entire ride to the swamp village held a blissful quiet that she hadn’t experienced in days. When the pair reached their destination, Huu called out to the others to announce their arrival. Katara greeted the swamp benders that she already knew, smiling her way through introductions to those that she didn’t. There were quite a few children running around with even more pregnant villagers. Katara was pleased to see that it wasn’t only her village going through a post-war baby boom.   
“What brings you around, cousin Katara?” Due asked, plunking himself down next to Katara as the majority of the village ate dinner in a large mess hall made of damp vines and mossy wood.   
“I’m actually here to ask some of your benders to go to my village.” Katara’s stomach flipped when she saw the skeptical look on the man’s face. “As of right now I’m the only bender and your benders wouldn’t have to stay long. Just long enough to help with building and infrastructure.”  
“It’s awfully cold in your neck of the swamp, cousin,” Due told, his mouth turning down at the sides.   
Katara folded in on herself. “I understand.”   
“Cheer up! Have some Bayan-Tree dew!” Due passed Katara a tall, frosty mug of foul smelling liquid. “I’ll tell everyone why you’re here after we’re done grubbin’. Just because I don’t want to go, don’t mean no one will.”   
Katara perked up, taking the mug in both hands. Katara took a large gulp, which left her sputtering. The liquid raced down Katara’s insides, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. Due slapped her twice on the back, some of the other swamp villagers laughing at her coughing. Katara put the mug down, pushing it away from her for good measure.   
Two large, herb stuffed beetles, one and a half mugs of Bayan-Tree dew later, Katara was swinging on the arm of a swamp bender around her age. The man took her hands, throwing her backwards away from him, before Katara back in to his chest. Katara threw her head back in laughter, feeling lighter than she had since setting out on her journey, knowing it was in part thanks to the dew in her system. Where there were waterbenders, there was strong alcohol not far behind.   
“Family, family,” Due called, raising his own mug, his third, in the air, not caring when a large amount sloshed on his hair, “Our cousin from the South would like our ears.”  
A few of the younger villagers slapped their hands over their ears, looking at Katara suspiciously. Katara broke away from her dance partner with a sheepish smile. Maybe she’d go back to find him later.   
“Thank you for taking me into your village,” Katara told, stepping near Due.   
“You’re family. Stay as long as you want,” Huu offered, his eyes red and low. A long, rolled and smoking stick-looking thing between his first two fingers on each hand.   
Katara smiled at the man. “I’m here because my village in the South needs benders. I have been the only bender in the South Pole since before the war ended. As much as I love my home, I can’t do everything alone, especially since we are growing. I came to ask if a few of your benders, would travel to the South Pole to help with our daily maintenance and rebuilding. You would be welcomed in the South Pole as you have all welcomed me here. I hope that you will love it in the South but don’t ask that you be tied to us. If at any time you wish to leave, you may do so.”   
Only the sound of the swamp responded to Katara’s words. The young, Southern waterbender bit her lip and looked at the gathered swamp villagers.   
“I understand that this is asking a lot.”   
“I’ll go,” Katara’s dance partner announced—she really needed to get his name, “I thought it was a strange dream. Nights ago, the moon spirit told me that I should visit the South. I’ll go to your home cousin.”   
“I had the same dream!” a female swamp bender shouted.  
“Me too,” another bender, a girl maybe in her early teens, agreed.   
“We’ll all go then,” Katara’s dance partner told, smiling at her.   
Katara beamed, sending silent and vehement thanks to Yue. “Thank you all so much. Everyone who wishes to go to the South Pole, come find me. I’ll give you the details.”   
Katara stood a way to the side of the gathering while the villagers talked amongst themselves. The three benders who had spoken up ambled over, with two more benders and a family of three behind them. Katara rocked back on her heels, trying to keep her smile subdued. Sending a group of this size, after so long without finding benders would no doubt assure the elders that they were making the right choice in allowing their only native bender to travel.   
“Firstly, thank you in being the firsts to say they’ll go to the South Pole,” Katara told, a small group forming in front of her, “Line up and give me your names. I’ll write a letter to my fathers so that when you arrive he’s able to welcome you and address you properly.”  
Katara’s dance partner stepped forward. “Asawa. You’re not comin’ with us?”  
Katara wrote his name in the language of the South Water Tribe, shaking her head softly. “I have to keep looking for more benders so right away, no. I won’t be going with you, but I’ll be going with you until we can find someone in a nearby town who will sail you across the ocean. It’s much different than sailing on a river—I know. Once I’ve gotten more benders, I’ll be heading back.”   
“See you then.”  
Katara took the rest of the names, finding the closest thing to messenger hawks the swamp village had to send the letter to her tribe. Katara set off to her tent to pack to leave in the morning, when she stopped in her tracks. Zuko—Zuko with much worry lines but also with laugh lines—stood before her. Had it really been that long since she’d seen him?   
“Zuko, Tui and La, what are you doing here?”  
Katara ran to Zuko, only to crash right through him when she went to hug him and stumble into a swamp village family. Katara apologized, looking down at the ground. The family gave her a series of knowing, faraway smiles, and stepped aside. This Zuko specter stood just past them. Katara had never seen so much love and adoration in Zuko’s amber eyes. Even when he brought Mai on their annual gAang vacation, never had her looked like this.   
Katara looked behind her, surely this specter was seeing someone else, when she realized that would do her no good. The specter child—no just a child that looked very similar, but male this time—ran up to Zuko’s leg. Zuko picked up the child horizontally, causing the boy to squeal with glee.   
“There she is,” Zuko cooed, boosting the child up to his shoulder, “There’s Mommy.”   
The specters left, leaving Katara breathless. Looking at Zuko’s eyes as he gazed at with that much love had brought back feelings she thought she’d banished after dating, and breaking up with, Aang. Fantasizing about Zuko was no better; her emotions tied to him were all adrenaline filled, and while that may have been necessary to survive a war, it wasn’t healthy. Katara shook herself, walking quickly to her and throwing herself inside, into sleep, immediately so as not to think about her vision.   
☼☼☼☼  
“Commander guard my rear, soldiers, one of you flank me on each side,” Zuko ordered, drawing his swords. “Stay in formation and we’ll be guarded from all sides. Move as one and we all survive.”  
Zuko’s expert guard moved into formation as the amateur rebels of the Fire Nation colonies jabbed at them. Zuko was mildly surprised the rebels had waited this long to attack, on the end of a rather odd smelling swamp, where they would have equal trouble escaping with any stolen goods here than down on dryer ground. Zuko and his men struck out with flame and sword; Zuko operated under strict order of “warn-first-then-kill”. When the rebels kept close to their attackers, not running like usual criminals, Zuko grimaced. The last thing the Fire Lord wanted to do was cause more tension by killing citizens who clearly aligned with restored Earth Kingdom control of the colonies.   
Zuko didn’t notice the heavy storm until he could no longer see the rebels or his men. His hair wiped around his face, threatening to take his crown with it. Zuko quickly reached into his hair, tucking her crown into his robes and shielding his ears. Cover, he needed to find cover.   
“Your daughter says she’s going to hold her breath if she had to go to the Earth Kingdom with you,” Katara chuckled, holding a small child under her arm. The child dramatically feigned passing out, opening one brown eye towards to Zuko after clearly taking deep breaths.  
Katara looked at Zuko like no one had ever looked at him before. The blue eyes gazing at him were tender in a way that his knees weak, the glow under her deep brown skin made Zuko’s heart hammer. Why was she looking at him like that? And why was she saying this child was his? Had he been hit?  
“What do you mean what do I want you to do? Find a way to make your trip more fun so our daughter doesn’t want to die rather than go on one.”  
Zuko took a step forward, walking right through Katara. In an instant, Zuko was firing fire in all directions. Something that to be playing on him. Zuko stood unnaturally still, hadn’t Azula been mumbling about their mother under the care of the Fire Sages lately? Was this a sign he was going insane? Zuko sank to his knees, clawing his fingers in the earth. There had be something he could do. The Fire Nation needed a sane ruler.   
“How-dy, cousin, whaddo we have ‘ere,” a thick voice, with an indistinguishable but certainly Earth Kingdom lilt, said.   
Zuko felt the man come behind him, then squat to peer at the bent Fire Lord. His companion came to Zuko’s other side.   
“Why don’t you come with us, stranger. We need someone to see you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me how you liked it! Zuko and Katara are going to meet in the next chapter and after seeing each other in specter form, that's bound to be weird. I haven't decided if I'll do Zutara or week not yet. If I do, the next chapter will be pushed back (even though I know I'm on a terrible updating schedule). I have a ton of work to do this summer so I can't update as frequently as I would like.


	5. Unsavory Circumstances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Katara and Zuko finally meet and Katara hands in her unofficial application to be one of Zuko's royal advisers.

“It’ll be okay, Papa,” the child apparition told Zuko, “I can tell you a story that Mama says used to help her calm down as a baby.” 

            Zuko focused on his breathing rather than on the specter child. The child hadn’t left his side since the strange water benders hah arrived. This child was different than the one that had been with the vision of Katara. When this child moved closer to Zuko on the small boat, sitting right inside of the barely clothed man beside him, the Fire Lord squeezed his golden eyes shut.

            “Hey, Juo, slow down. I think he’s gonna be sick,” the man beside Zuko called to his companion steering the boat.

            “No, you don’t have to,” Zuko groaned, “Let’s just get to wherever we’re going. I need to speak with whoever is in charge, so I can be on my way.”

            The child scooted closer to Zuko, now sitting half inside of the man and half on the warped wooden bench. Zuko had to sit on his hands to keep from plugging his ears against the never-ending chatter from the child that wasn’t actually there.  

  * ●●●



            “Might as well send the child away,” Yue suggested, lying beside Agni on a chaise that was there and not there all at once, “He’s not going to listen to it.”

            Agni leaned forward, watching his firebender through the small portal to the physical world. “You think by now he would realize that the child looks like him and a mix of your waterbender.”

            Yue shrugged, barely holding back a laugh. “I guess we know now that waterbenders are smarter than firebenders.”

            “More like your waterbender has been to the swamp before,” Agni muttered under his breath as the younger spirit chuckled.

            Yue dipped her hand in the water of the physical world, propelling the boat forward. “If they don’t hurry it up, your bender is going to miss mine and there will be no child to cast on him.”

ϽϽϽϽ

            “Something ain’t right in the water,” Asawa told, standing suddenly. “I’ve never felt a current like this here.”

            Katara dipped a hand in the water, leaning over the side of the boat where she had been securing food for their two-day journey. Asawa was right; the current was much too swift for the lazy swamp. While the other swamp benders seemed worried about the sudden change in the water’s speed, Katara felt hope in the pit of her stomach. If the swamp benders didn’t recognize this current that had to mean another water bender was nearby, moving through the waters. It would be much easier to convince a nomadic waterbender to travel to the South Pole than one that had an established home.

            “We should go meet whoever it is before they get to the village,” Katara suggested, “I doubt they’re malicious but better safe than sorry.”

            The waterbenders in the group nodded, taking a boat each. Katara gathered the rope that tethered her boat to the muddy ground in time with the other benders. The female bender that had received the message from Yue, Monse, led the brigade of benders. Katara used her bending, rather than the unfamiliar steers on her boat, while the swamp benders around her used a combination of the two. The young, master bender made a mental note to look more into the boats of other benders after her journey was over.

            “Cousins,” Monse called, “Is it you turnin’ the current this-a way?”

            “‘S not us. Monse, we caught a firebender,” a villager answered, “This one is a stranger.”

            Katara tried not to feel disappointed over not finding another bender to send to her tribe. Katara felt the air shift around her as the swamp benders tensed on their separate boats. Never, in all her interactions with the swamp benders, had Katara heard them call anyone a stranger. This firebender was in deep trouble.

            The vines around Katara’s group started to come together. Although Katara knew that the swamp benders were controlling it, the sight made her shiver. The benders vanished into the greenery one by one, until the creature was bigger than anything Katara had ever seen. It was suddenly clear how the swamp villagers had stayed out of the Hundred Year War.

            Katara navigated her boat to the side, dodging the now vacant vehicles as the sailors with the captured firebender brought theirs to the center. The firebender in question sat very still with his eyes screwed shut. Even without being able to fully see him, Katara would have recognized that regal posture and angular face anywhere.

            “Wait!” Katara called, throwing up a solid wall of water between the vine creature and the boat, “I know that firebender. He doesn’t mean any harm!”

            Monse parted the vines at the heart of the vine creature. “You know the firebender, cousin?”

            “He’s Fire Lord Zuko. Huu and Due will know him the invasion a few years ago.” Katara turned to the firebender that still hadn’t moved. “Zuko?”

            “Don’ know what’s wrong wit him,” the man steering the boat told, “He doesn’t talk much. We thought he was gonna be sick but he held it down.”

            Katara’s forehead creased as she looked at Zuko. With only a short second thought, Katara dropped the water wall and used the resulting swell to propel her to the boat. Monse quickly reformed the vine creature, making it step forward and move into an offensive bending stance. While Katara was glad the swamp benders were at the ready to protect her, she was sure it wouldn’t make Zuko feel at ease enough to admit something was amiss.

            “Zuko,” Katara called softly, placing a hand on his arm, “Are you okay.”

            Zuko’s golden eyes snapped open, focusing on Katara’s hand. Katara jumped back when he rained a hand, bringing it to her face. The Fire Lord seemed almost astonished when his fingers hit her flesh.

            “Thank Agni a thousand times over,” Zuko breathed, “You don’t know how glad I am to be able to touch you.”

            Katara touched the back of her hand to Zuko’s forehead—trying not to assign his statement to the vison of her friend the swamp had shown her not so long ago—only remembering his aversion to touch when he flinched slightly. “You’re warm.”

            “I’m a firebender,” Zuko deadpanned.

            “A firebender that needs to be medically examined. What are you doing here? Did you get hit? Are you okay?”

            Zuko’s eyes flicked between Katara and the vine creature behind her. “I would love to answer all of that, but I think we’re about to be attacked.”

            Katara sprang up, turning to face the collective of swamp benders. “This is Fire Lord Zuko, as I said. He’s not going to hurt anyone. I believe he needs to be taken back to the village, so I can examine him. I believe he’s sick.”

            “I am not sick,” Zuko hissed.

            Katara looked over her shoulder at her friend, his pale face indignant. “I, the master healer, will be the judge of that.”

            The swamp benders allowed their vines to carry them back to their boats. The Fire Lord grumbled to himself, almost making Katara laugh. Katara brought her boat forward with her bending, moving inside them motioning for Zuko to follow her. The firebender and his previous boat operators looked relieved to be free of each other. Katara fell back in the spearhead formation, bringing up the rear instead of trailing directly behind Monse.

            “So, what are you doing here Zuko?”

Katara looked over her shoulder at Zuko who seemed to be trying his hardest to take in all of the quickly passing surroundings. Katara tried to dispel the memory of the swamp showing her the vision of her friend gazing at her in a way that quickened her heartrate. When golden eyes met her blue set Katara hurriedly looked towards the front of the boat. Zuko didn’t have to know that Katara didn’t need to look forward to steer them in the correct direction.

“My men and I were attacked at the edge of the swamp. I didn’t realize I’d stepped in until I was caught in a storm,” Zuko told, “I was going to try to get out but I was found.”

“Even if you had tried to leave, I doubt the swamp would have let you.”

Katara heard Zuko heave one of his big sighs that made a smile touch her mouth. “What are you talking about, waterbender?”

“If you entered the swamp in a storm that means you’re here for a reason,” Katara explained, “You’re not leaving until the swamp is done with you. This entire place is connected to a spirit. Kind of freaky on your first go ‘round.”

“You’ve been here?” Zuko asked, his tone accusatory.

“Multiple times,” Katara told, simply, turning into the makeshift dock, “If you haven’t seen your visions yet then I suggest sitting tight.”

Zuko’s sudden scrambling to Katara’s side made their boat rock so violently water sloshed over the side. The firebender ignored the glance that was equal parts concern and annoyance directed at him.

“You’ve had visions too?”

“Yeah, it’s how the swamp communicates.” Katara climbed out of the boat, tipping the nose so Zuko could follow. “Here having visions is actually pretty normal. I’ve only not had them on one of my visits.”

“What did you see?”

Katara tensed, refusing to look at her friend as she secured the boat. “The visions are usually very personal.”

Zuko went red from the neckline of his robes to the underside of his chin. “Right. Sorry. Could you explain more? You don’t have to talk about your own visions.”

“Yeah. I was supposed to head out with the benders that agreed to go to the South Pole but that can wait for a night. I bet you’re hungry.” Katara smiled at Zuko warmly. “We have so much to catch up on. We don’t usually see each other more than once a year.”

☼☼☼☼

“I thought I was going crazy,” Zuko admitted, his body sagging.

Katara rolled out a borrowed bedroll beside her own for Zuko. “Sometimes I still think I am when I come here.”

“Why _are_ you here?” Zuko asked. “Last I heard the Southern Water Tribe is going through a baby boom. Don’t they need their top healer?”

“You mean their only healer,” Katara corrected. “We are going through a baby boom. We’re going through all of the soldiers finally realizing they’re not going to be sent to war again and trying to settle back into village life boom. Not to mention the children who were children during the war are growing up and they need places to be, places to learn.”

“You’re expanding,” Zuko summarized, finally noticing the dark circles under Katara’s eyes, her sagging posture and her haggard appearance.

“In a sense. We got so used to only having to provide for women and children that now that we have to provide for men, women, children, teenagers and the like it’s putting a strain on us. On me specifically.” Katara sighed, tugging her hair out of its braid to run her fingers through the frizzy tangles, “I’m still the only bender. I have to do major infrastructure upkeep, healing, fishing trips. If it involves water I’m the first person people call.”

“That sounds like a lot of stress on you.”  

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that we’re in a time of peace and that our tribe is growing.”

“But you need help. Every leader needs help. The Fire Nation would crumble if I didn’t have my advisors. I can’t imagine if I was the only bender, even if I was only in charge of the capital,” Zuko sympathized.

Katara smiled gratefully. “That’s why I’m here. I’m trying to find water benders that will travel to the South Pole to help out for a bit. I’m hoping that a few fall in love with the tribe and want to start permanent lives there.”

“Ah, so that’s why you’ve been in my colonies. I don’t know how many waterbenders are in the colonies nearest the Earth Kingdom.” Zuko rested his chin on his fist as he thought. “Within the Fire Nation there are quite a few towns that have blended families. They’re far enough from the fighting in the colonies and the cities with Ozai loyalists that waterbenders may feel safe there.”

“I’ll make my way there eventually. I saw a few war time maps and if I find benders there I doubt they’d be willing to go to the Southern Water Tribe, even though the war is over.”

“Because they’re near the war criminal prisons you mean?” Katara nodded and Zuko sighed. “I did my best to give them a chance at a new life after issuing their release. If my nation had endless resources I would have done more but near the prisons are where there were the most vacant homes.”

Katara’s mouth twisted to the side. “Besides giving them homes that were vacant and probably very behind on upkeep, what did you do for those prisoners of war, Zuko? Did you direct them towards re-entry programs? Try to connect them with their homes? Have you visited them since the end of the war?”

Zuko looked at the floor of the tent instead of at his probing friend. “A visit is on my list of priorities, but I need to visit the colonies. I don’t trust my advisors with visiting. They barely wanted to give them homes.

“As for the programs you mentioned, we don’t have those in place for non-firebenders. Even for firebenders, those that are released from prison can usually only work in factories using their bending to weld.”

“Zuko, really?” Katara couldn’t stop herself before the short, disbelieving question burst from her throat.

“Katara, I’m trying,” Zuko snapped matching Katara’s tone, before pinching the bridge of his nose to regain his control, “I’m doing everything with a very thin budget that’s only getting thinner. My father assumed we were going to take over the world; he spent money that should have sustained us for decades to come. Then we had to pay reparations to every nation when we barely had enough to keep ourselves afloat. Any goods coming from the Earth Kingdom and the Northern Water Tribe are so heavily taxed it’s almost not worth trading with them at all.

“You know I love Aang but he’s trying to restart the Air Nomads from scratch and doesn’t realize just how much money he’s taking from the Fire Nation a year to fund the rebuilding of temples. The only nation not bleeding me dry is the Southern Water Tribe when you all have the most right. Our biggest source of revenue comes from the colonies but with these nonstop riots, even that profit margin is dwindling.

“My nation is on its last leg, and has been since this war ended, so excuse me if my top concern is keeping us in the black.”

Katara reached across the small space to touch Zuko’s knee. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know all of that. What are your plans for the colonies?”

“Right now, I’m visiting the leaders to try to figure out what they need.” It was Zuko’s turn to sag. “As you may have guessed, it’s not going too well.”

“Maybe because you’re meeting with the wrong people.” Katara held up her hands as Zuko’s stare turned to ice. “Hey, hear me out. The people who actually live in the colonies aren’t your biggest fans.”

Zuko clenched and unclenched his hands. “Thanks, Katara that really helps.”

Katara rolled her eyes. “I’m stating facts. They don’t like you. By meeting with the Fire Nation nobles in charge and not listening to the Earth Kingdom citizens who live there, you’re showing them you don’t care.”

Zuko frowned. “They’re not Earth Kingdom citizens anymore.”

“Says you. I’m not going to pretend to know anything about your Fire Nation nobility because every time I visit the palace I steer clear, but I do know a little about connecting with the people that depend on you as a leader. If you want the people who were there before the war decided they were Fire Nation citizens to do anything besides burn down Fire Nation native’s shops, you’re going to have to connect with the people who still think of themselves as Earth Kingdom citizens,” Katara suggested.

“Alright, I’ll bite,” Zuko allowed, “How would you suggest I do that?”

“I suggest canceling the rest of your noble house visits for starters. It’s not doing much good and it’s only making you a bigger target for assassination attempts; not to mention making my travels harder as your friend.

“Next, you need to take a look at how your appointed leaders are treating their citizens and not only the leaders, but those who came from the Fire Nation to the colonies. Don’t go to the Fire Nation leaders, send out people that can blend in and get them to report back to you. While that’s happening, do your research—or have someone you trust do it—into how the towns were governed and led before they were colonized. See if you can incorporate that into the leadership in the future.

“There’s going to be push back on all ends but if you want there to be harmony, you have to understand that colonization only benefits those who are doing the colonizing. I’m willing to bet the colonies know that they’re bringing in the most profit for the Fire Nation. While that profit may be good for you and the Fire Nation’s emptying treasury, if the people who were there before the colonies aren’t seeing any of the profit on their end, both monetarily and in other ways, there’s going to be friction.

“That’s only a start of course. Down the line there’s going to need to be more effort put in but for now, you need a way to get the fighting to stop. In time you can go deeper,” Katara detailed.

“I can’t believe I ever doubted the political prowess of the Southern Water Tribe,” Zuko stated after a long while, “My advisors would never have told me that.”

“Your advisors are all Fire Nation nobles. Why would they think of that?” Katara pointed out, “After you have this issue settled, maybe consider diversifying your advisory council.”

“One Fire Nation problem a night, waterbender,” Zuko teased, sinking into his bedroll.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter didn't touch on Zuko and Katara having had visions of each other as much as I thought it would but I feel like the way things progressed felt natural (tell me if they didn't!). Don't worry, that awkwardness will stop pop up later. Now that they've finally met in the flesh, things can start to pick up a bit. The exposition part of the story is over! We're heading into the action now. As always, thank you so much for reading and let me know what you think! I actually read through the chapter before posting this time so hopefully there's less typos. I'm not perfect so there are still probably some that I won't catch it's time to read this chapter again to prepare for the next.

**Author's Note:**

> I made an outline for this fic a little bit ago after deciding that not enough fics utilized the visions from the swamp enough. From that idea came this short little tale that I hope you all enjoy. It'll be comical and angst filled but (hopefully) good.


End file.
